Page 115 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 to 12 | First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies

assignment, presenting and defending ideas or debating issues, and offering informal critiques of work produced by their peers.
As students explore various text forms associated with the oral traditions of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures, they learn how to select and use culturally appropriate listening practices to further their understanding of the lessons and knowledge to be gained from traditional stories, including historical knowledge. They also gain insight into the social, economic, and political forces that affect the transmission of stories, as well as the signifi- cance of these stories not only to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities but also to Canadian society as a whole.
It is important for students to develop an understanding that some knowledge is sacred and may be shared only with permission and/or in certain situations. As a result, recording or reproducing an oral teaching, a story, or a song may require explicit permission from the knowledge holder and/or community.
Listening and speaking are essential skills for social interaction at home, at school, and in the community. In order for all students to benefit from the opportunities provided in the classroom for listening and speaking, differences in the norms and conventions associated with oral communication in different cultures must be taken into account. In addition, for some students, the notion that learning involves talk is unfamiliar, and talk that supports learning must be explicitly taught and modelled. All students can benefit from opportun- ities to improve their listening and response skills and to refine their ideas and their ability to express them.
The Oral Communication strand focuses on the identification and development of the skills and strategies effective listeners and speakers use to understand and interact with others. It also emphasizes the use of higher-order thinking skills to stimulate students’ interest and engage them in their own learning.
C. Reading and Literature Studies
“English: Understanding Contemporary First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Voices” focuses on developing the knowledge and skills that will enable students to become effective readers. An effective reader is one who not only grasps the ideas communicated in a text but is able to apply them in new contexts. To do this, the reader must be able to think clearly, creatively, and critically about the ideas and information encountered in texts
in order to understand, analyse, and absorb them and to recognize their relevance in other contexts. Students can develop the skills necessary to become effective readers by applying a range of comprehension strategies as they read and by reading a wide variety of texts from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures, and, as appropriate, relevant texts from non-Indigenous sources. It is also important that they read a range of materials that illustrate the many uses of writing. By reading widely, students will develop a richer vocabulary and become more attuned to the conventions of written language. Reading various kinds of texts in all areas of the curriculum will also help students to discover what interests them most and to pursue and develop their interests and abilities.
Reading is a complex process that involves the application of various strategies before, during, and after reading. For example, before reading, students might prepare by identi- fying the purpose of the reading activity and by activating their prior knowledge about the topic of the text. Teachers help build the necessary background knowledge for students
COURSE INTRODUCTION: NBE3U, NBE3C, NBE3E
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